


Keys To Fit Our Locks

by Kirito_Potter



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, First Kiss, First Meetings, Getting Together, M/M, Misunderstandings, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 20:49:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18645853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirito_Potter/pseuds/Kirito_Potter
Summary: For as long as I can remember, I've had two names written on my wrists. Well, one name and one strange set of words. Regardless, it's normal. Everyone has a name on each wrist: one, your soulmate. The other, your enemy. It sounds simple enough, but you don't know which is which.





	Keys To Fit Our Locks

**Author's Note:**

> This is both very old and based on a tumblr post.

**SIMON**

 

For as long as I can remember, I've had two names written on my wrists. Well, one name and one strange set of words. Regardless, it's normal. Everyone has a name on each wrist: one, your soulmate. The other, your enemy. It sounds simple enough, but you don't know which is which.

 

Every year, when I got sent to a new orphanage, the same exchange would happen. A few kids who weren't dead inside would introduce themselves and show me their wrists, expecting me to do the same. I was always mortified when I turned mine over, seeing their previously eager faces scrunch up.

 

"Ty... Tyra..."

 

"Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch," I'd recite. My more normal name, even if it wasn't very normal at all.

 

The boys would stare and grab my left arm, squinting at the four long names.

 

"Who the heck names their kid something like that?"

 

I'd just blush and shrug, unable to answer. After all, I hadn't met him yet.

 

Then they'd finally move on to my other wrist. Their eyes widened even more, jaws dropping.

 

"Woah! Is that even a name?"

 

I'd squirm. "I think it's more of a title..."

 

_The Insidious Humdrum._ A name more fit for a supervillain in a kids' show than someone who might exist in real life.

 

From then on, the kids would ignore me until I got moved to another orphanage. I got used to it-- the being ignored and the moving around.

 

Until one day, the Mage showed up and took me to Watford. I expected everything-- or rather, everyone-- to be the same there. I couldn't have imagined the scene when the Crucible found me a roommate.

 

I felt a tugging in my gut, almost unbearable. It wasn't just pulling relentlessly, but burning me from the inside out. All I could do was go where it led me. And where it led me was to a boy with a long, crooked nose, a little too high on his face. His raven black hair framed his face, and I somehow doubted it was even possible for a single strand to fall out of place.

 

The boy sneered at me, the way I'd gotten used to. He huffed and said, "Hello. I suppose you're my new roommate?"

 

I nodded frantically, sticking out my hand for him to shake.

 

"My name is Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch."

 

It felt like a blow to the stomach. I floundered, forgetting how to breathe. Some part of me had started to doubt if he even existed.

 

Tyrannus (Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch, my left name, I had to remind myself) raised an eyebrow. "You do speak English, don't you?"

 

I wrenched my sleeve down and thrust my wrist in his face.

 

His face paled. He looked back at me, then to my wrist once more. He cleared his throat. I'd shaken him.

 

With a soft voice, he asked, "Are you... Are you Davy?"

 

I blinked, surprised, and shook my head. His expression clouded, unreadable again.

 

"I-- I'm Simon!" I stammered. "Simon Snow!"

 

He nodded silently and rolled up his right sleeve. There was my name, tattooed in an elegant script; the dark lettering stood out against his pale skin.

 

Hands shaking, I reached out to touch it. He pulled back, eyebrows furrowing. Then, after a moment, he reached out and shook my extended hand. I only realized after a moment that it was so we could break the molten hot pull of the Crucible, and not because of our wrists.

 

He nodded curtly, turned on his heel, and walked off. I could only stare after him. It might have been my imagination, but I thought I could feel the messy scrawl on my wrist burning as hotly as the Crucible's pull.

 

**BAZ**

 

Even before we'd met, I knew Snow would be the enemy out of my names. The millisecond the Mage took him under his wing, his name and story spread, and my family prepared me.

They'd been especially excited when they heard of him because of my names. They already knew who to warn: his fated enemy.

'Simon Snow is your foe. Any protegé of the Mage is our enemy.'

 

Once I knew, I focused on my left wrist. _Davy Salisbury_. If _Simon Snow_ , the name on my right wrist, was my enemy, then Davy had to be my soulmate.

 

Armed with the knowledge, I'd stare at his name and clutch my arm to my chest, dreaming about the kind of guy he might be. Davy sounded like a sweet enough name, like a pet name for someone close. I hoped that I'd be the one to give him the nickname, though I doubted it was true.

 

The day the Crucible paired everyone up, it took all of my willpower not to show my excitement. What if this was when I'd meet Davy? We could be roommates and slowly fall in love. (I'd always been a hopeless romantic.) When the boy showed me his wrist, my heart skipped a beat. Several beats. I couldn't stop myself from drinking him in: thick, luscious hair, bright blue eyes, and a million little moles.

 

And then he shattered me. _I'm Simon. Simon Snow._

 

I shook his hand, nodded, and walked away. The same thought kept flitting through my head: _I didn't expect my enemy to be so beautiful_.

 

**SIMON**

 

I hesitated outside the door. He was someone I was supposed to meet. Maybe even someone I was supposed to love.

 

I gently opened the door.

 

Tyrannus glared at me from the farther bed, his expression practically murderous. His black hair, pale skin and grey eyes gave the illusion of a photograph in monochrome.

 

I offered him a small wave and what I hoped was a friendly smile.

 

"I hate you."

 

I felt a pang in my chest, my smile falling. "Wh-- Tyrannus, you don't mean that."

 

I didn't think his eyes could get colder, but he proved me wrong. "Don't call me that. I go by Baz. Basilton if you must."

 

I felt my cheeks flush. Of course I'd been referring to him with the wrong name, as though he didn't have a bad enough impression of me already. "Well, Baz, then. Surely you don't hate me. We just met! You don't know me!"

 

He turned away. "I know enough."

 

***

 

It wasn't too long before I was introduced to my other name. I'd become fast friends with Penny, and one day she was telling me about her family. When she got to her father, she smirked knowingly.

 

"He's rather famous," she said. I prompted her to continue. "Well, he's the one who discovered and named the Insidious Humdrum."

 

It was like the floor had opened beneath me, and I was falling into a great expanse. My heart pounded relentlessly in my chest.

 

"The Insidious Humdrum?" My voice was shaking.

 

She nodded proudly. "He's working to find out more about it, you know. He hopes to stop and even reverse its effects."

 

I shook my head. "What do you mean? I thought... The Insidious Humdrum, isn't he or she a person?"

 

Penny frowned, pushing her glasses higher on the bridge of her nose. "Who told you that? The Humdrum isn't a person, it's... well, it's not even really a thing. It's more of a force, a feeling."

 

I tried not to show my shock. "What kind of feeling?"

 

She frowned. "You really haven't heard about all of this?"

 

I shook my head.

 

"It steals magic, Simon. It's putting all mages in danger."

 

That night, when Baz and I were in our beds, facing away from each other, I rolled up my sleeve. _The Insidious Humdrum._ I was fated to something that wasn't even a person. Worse, I was fated to something putting the World of Mages in danger.

 

**BAZ**

 

The summer after first year, I told my father I'd met Snow. His eyes lit up in a way I hadn't seen in years. He asked what had happened.

 

"We're roommates."

 

He _cackled_.

 

**SIMON**

 

As the years went by, Baz only grew more distant and angry. I figured there wasn't much of a chance to make friends, since we were fated enemies.

 

Penny, on the other hand, asked me about my other name more and more often. Pretty much everyone knew by then that Baz and I were fated enemies, but Penny insisted on asking about my soulmate. Of course I couldn't tell her I was fated to the Humdrum. It only got worse fourth year, when she met hers in Micah, an American boy.

 

**BAZ**

 

Fourth year was a mess. I finally started being affected by my bite, and with no one to ask for help, I was a mess, literally and figuratively. And besides that...

 

Besides that, I found myself watching Snow. Whenever he wasn't looking, I'd stare. I couldn't stop myself. There was something that drew me in. I was afraid to give it a name, especially when I happened to look down and see Davy's name on my wrist.

 

I couldn't let myself get confused. Simon was my enemy. That was all.

 

**SIMON**

 

Seventh year had gone alright, and I was ready for the end-of-year ceremony. The last thing I expected was to get whisked off with Penny and find myself someplace else, in front of...

 

In front of myself. It was like looking in a mirror. Except the other me had that stupid ball I'd loved so much as a kid.

 

"Who are you?" I asked.

 

He (I?) snickered. "Can't you recognize yourself?" His voice was almost mine, but not quite. There was something off.

 

"I know you look like me, but you're not. So who are you? And how did you bring us here?" My voice quivered. "And stop using my face! It's mine!"

 

He sighed and rolled my eyes, running a hand through my hair. "I suppose you'd call me the Humdrum."

 

My knees felt weak. "You're...?"

 

He nodded. "And you, you're Simon Snow." He gave me a toothy grin. I didn't realize it then, but it looked especially horrific because it wasn't how I smiled. It was a foreign expression on a familiar face. "You're supposed to get rid of me, yeah?"

 

Beside me, Penny was shaking her head. "This isn't right..."

 

I hesitated. This being-- this creature, this other me-- was supposed to be my soulmate. There had to be something I could do to show him that. To make him see the light.

 

"Look... Humdrum."

 

He snorted, rolling his eyes.

 

"You... This isn't what you want."

 

"And why not?"

 

"Um..." I'd never been very good with words. "I'm sure you know this is wrong. I mean, come on. Stealing magic? That's so last year."

 

He didn't look amused. "What else do you expect me to do? It's what I was made for. It's all I know how to do. It's all I _want_ to do." He smirked and caught his ball. "I'm pretty good at it, too."

 

I took a shuddering breath, stealing a glance around. There had to be someone who could save the situation. Maybe even get Pen and I away from this guy.

 

"H-hum-- can I call you Hum? Hum, I want you to really think about this. What can you possibly get out of this?"

 

He spread his arms. "My existence." He gave another bone-chilling smile. "And maybe I can end yours."

 

Suddenly he was lunging forward, his face twisting into something monstrous. I didn't have time to draw the Sword of Mages. I didn't even have time to think.

 

" **I wish I could fly!** "

 

**BAZ**

 

Darkness. Hunger. Despair.

 

**SIMON**

 

It was hard to focus at Watford. Baz was missing (obviously plotting), and the Mage never seemed to have time for me anymore, even for the literal Humdrum. I was overwhelmed, and paranoid, and scared. And after I'd seen Baz and Agatha together last year...

 

For the first time, part of me wished Baz were here.

 

***

 

Baz was here. But it came at a price-- getting caught up in some weird Scooby-Doo murder mystery, with Baz's mother as the victim. And somehow, that meant Baz and I were in the middle of a truce. Baz, my fated enemy. It felt wrong for obvious reasons.

 

"Alright," he said, lifting a hand to draw in the air. "What do we know?"

 

I shrugged behind him, cross-legged on the bed. "That your mom was killed by some wanker."

 

His head whipped around, eyes burning dangerously. "Don't be a moron."

 

I shrugged again. "What do you want me to say? We don't exactly have a case file."

 

Baz's lip curled further downwards.

 

In moments like these, Pen would usually defuse the situation, but she wasn't here today on account of "too many tests to study for and not enough time!" That left Baz and I to glare at each other, struggling not to break the anathema.

 

Baz huffed, turning back to his writing. "Did you find anything on this Nicodemus guy?"

 

I shook my head. "Nothing. Penny was working on getting access to the locked section of the school library, though."

 

"Well Penny isn't here right now," Baz growled.

 

I sighed. "I know that."

 

Then he looked down, turning his hand upwards so it faced the ceiling. He rolled down his sleeve just a bit, and stared at the name on his wrist. I couldn't get a good look, but it wasn't his right wrist, where my name was. That was his soulmate's name. I frowned, looking up at the ceiling.

 

"What? Waiting for your soulmate to come fix everything?"

 

Looking up sharply, he rolled up his sleeve. "Of course not, don't be silly. I just..."

 

I ran a hand through my hair. "Do you know who it is?"

 

He was surprised, but he tried to hide it with malice. "Is that really any of your business?"

 

Picking at a spot of dry skin, I responded, "It is if your soulmate is my girlfriend."

 

He froze. His lips pressed together as he decided whether or not to answer my statement of a question. "Wellbelove, you mean?"

 

I nodded wordlessly, refusing to look him in the eye. I didn't really care if it was Agatha-- I wasn't fated to her anyways, she could fancy who she liked. But anyone was better than someone who'd tried to kill me.

 

"No."

 

I glanced up. "No?"

 

"It's not Wellbelove."

 

I tried to look relieved. "Who, then?"

 

He turned away again. "You said it was your business if it was her. It's not. That means it's not your business."

 

Frustrated, I kicked his bed.

 

"It'd be beneficial to your health if you refrained from damaging my property."

 

"Anathema," I grumbled.

 

He sighed, and there was an awkward pause as it hung in the air.

 

"Do you know who it is?" I asked, finally.

 

Rolling his eyes, "I just told you--"

 

"I don't want to know who. I just want to know if you've met them yet."

 

He hesitated for a good minute, until it couldn't really be called hesitating anymore.

His shoulders slumped. "No."

 

I nodded. "You're lucky."

 

His cheeks flushed with a mix of annoyance and fury. "Lucky? How can not knowing your soulmate be lucky? Hell, this is our last year of Watford, and I'm scared I won't--" he stopped himself.

 

"Scared you won't what?" I already knew.

 

He turned away once more. "Scared I won't meet him."

 

"Better off than I am." After all, being bonded to a literal monster kept me up at night. It made me want to curl up until I just disappeared.

 

He shook his head, hair swaying slowly. "I will never understand you. It's probably the difference in IQ."

 

"You wouldn't be saying that if you had my soulmate," I retorted.

 

He peeked over his shoulder at me, one eyebrow raised.

 

I'd said too much, I could tell. He wouldn't leave me alone now. He was the kind of guy to poke and prod and push until he got what he wanted. If I didn't tell him now, he'd get it out of me later.

 

I stood. "I'll... I'll only show you if you show me yours."

 

He snorted. "Crowley, Snow, have some tact."

 

"I'm serious. And you can't tell anyone!" I gripped my sleeve, hoping to shield my name from any glances he might try to sneak in.

 

Slowly, he nodded. "Yeah, alright. I've got nothing to lose." In one swift movement, he rolled down his left sleeve, holding up his arm. Startled, I jumped, almost falling off the bed. I hadn't expected him to be so open to the suggestion. He snickered at my shock. I focused on the smooth letters on his wrist.

 

"Davy Salisbury," I said, rolling the name around in my mouth.

 

He smiled a little at the sound of it.

 

"Sounds like a normal enough name," I mumbled. "I don't know anyone called that, though."

 

He nodded. "I figured. But now it's your turn."

 

My heart jumped into my throat, and the world slowed down. "Y-you can't... tell anyone."

 

"Right."

 

I tried to swallow away the thumping so I could hear myself think, but it didn't seem affected. Slowly, I lifted my arm. For the first time since I'd come to Watford, I showed someone my right name.

 

His face paled even further, though I didn't think it was possible. He swallowed, and his Adam's apple bobbed. "Snow..."

 

I bit my lip. "I told you, didn't I?"

 

He struggled to take a breath.

 

**BAZ**

 

_The Insidious Humdrum_. He was serious about me being lucky. It didn't seem real; there was no way he was really bonded to the Insidious Humdrum.

 

Then I realized it. There really was no way. Yes, it was wrong in every way, but more importantly, it was impossible. The Humdrum wasn't human. Until last year, it hadn't even been corporeal. So how could it have a soulmate? Only humans had soulmates. (And apparently humans-turned-vampires, but that was another matter entirely.) The Humdrum couldn't have a soulmate, which meant it certainly wasn't Snow's. However... it could have an enemy, couldn't it? That meant Snow had it backwards. The Humdrum wasn't his fated soulmate, it was his fated enemy, in a one-sided kind of way.

 

I opened my mouth to tell him, but had another heart-stopping realization.

 

If the Humdrum wasn't his soulmate...

I sucked in a breath. My father would burn me alive if he thought I'd be anything but Simon's enemy.

 

Making up my mind in the span of a few seconds, I shook my head. "It figures."

 

Snow looked wounded. "What is that supposed to mean?"

 

"The universe has always tried to make you as miserable as possible."

 

That was true for both of us.

 

***

 

I couldn't tell him, and it was driving me crazy. Now that I knew, I could honestly address what I felt for him: I loved Simon Snow.

 

I was worthless. I was a monster who'd never be with his soulmate the way he was meant to be. It was all too much.

 

That was why I was here, after all: sitting in the forest, waiting to burn. I felt as though I should say some poignant final words. Something I'd be remembered for, though no one was there to hear it.

 

"Simon Snow is a bloody numpty!"

 

That felt good.

 

"Hey, who are you calling a numpty?"

 

I started, and found myself staring into crystal blue eyes.

 

"What are you doing, Baz? Are you suicidal or something?"

 

I rolled my eyes. "Obviously." Of course Snow would be the one to find me. And of course he was treading right through the flames, meaning I'd have to save the idiot. My final act in this world would be saving Snow's life.

 

I raised my wand.

 

"Are you stupid or something?" Snow growled, and suddenly his hands were on my face. "I mean, seriously! What makes you think this is okay?"

 

I hesitated. "What is that supposed to mean? It shouldn't matter to you. I'm your--" my voice cracked. " _Enemy_."

 

He shook his head, and I forgot how to breathe. Had he figured it out?

 

"Baz, it doesn't matter that we're enemies. Somewhere, there's a soulmate for you." He grabbed my wrist and pulled it to my face. "See? This Davy, he's waiting for you!"

 

I pushed him away, suddenly overcome. "Just leave me alone, Simon. Why do you have to ruin everything?"

 

"Because I care about you!"

 

It was like the world had gone silent. The roaring crackle of the flames fell away, accompanied by the thumping of my heart quieting. All I could hear was Snow's panting (mouth-breather) and those words over and over. _I care about you_.

 

"Simon," I whispered, too loud in the frozen world. His eyes widened. I wanted to tell him everything. And I wanted to kiss him.

 

And then _he_ kissed _me_.

 

It felt like an explosion.

 

We parted, and he shook his head weakly. "Baz... you can't die. This isn't how it's supposed to happen."

 

I shuddered. "Simon..." My brain was stuck, like an old victrola. All I could say was his name.

 

He kissed me again, and my needle slid back into place, letting the record play.

"Simon-- we're not enemies."

 

He looked confused, distracted. "What-- obviously not, we're kissing in the woods!" He flushed. "We're kissing in the woods..."

 

I shook my head, grabbing his arms tightly. "We're not fated enemies! We're _soulmates_!"

 

Simon took a few seconds to respond. "...What?"

 

"The Humdrum-- it's not your soulmate, Simon! I am!"

 

He let go of me, stepping backwards and almost setting his shoe on fire. With a grimace, I put out the flames. Killing myself was one thing, but I wouldn't let Simon get hurt.

 

"You? And me?" Simon asked, looking ready to fall over.

 

I stood. "The Humdrum isn't human."

 

"Sure looked like it!" He argued. "He had my face!" He pointed to his brow, as though it wasn't obvious whose face he was referring to.

 

I shook my head. "It isn't human, so it can't have a soulmate. It'd be like being bonded to a merwolf. That's how I knew: if it isn't your soulmate, it must be your enemy. And..." I sighed. "If I'm not your enemy..."

 

Blue eyes widened. His blush reached the tips of his ears and disappeared beneath his shirt collar.

 

"We're soulmates," he breathed, stunned. "We're soulmates."

 

I kissed him again.

 


End file.
